Many neurodegenerative diseases occur as a result of the neurodegenerative processes. Neurodegeneration is the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, including death of neurons. Neurodegenerative diseases are hardly curable, resulting in progressive degeneration and/or death of neuron cells.
Memantine is an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, and it reduces certain types of brain activity by binding to NMDA receptors on brain cells and blocking the activity of the neurotransmitter glutamate. Memantine has been shown to have therapeutic effects on moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease and in dementia with Lewy bodies. It has also been demonstrated that memantine has efficacy in treating various diabetic diseases or conditions. The structure of memantine is shown as follows:

However, memantine has certain physical and chemical properties that limit its therapeutic use. For instance, memantine has fairly high water solubility which presents challenges for drug formulation. In addition, the use of memantine is associated with adverse effects such as confusion, dizziness, drowsiness, headache, insomnia, agitation, and hallucinations.